Reaction time tests test the strength of a test subject's mental associations between concepts and ideas, or strength and accessibility of a given attitude, based on the test subject's performance on tests during which the subject answers or responds to a query or a series of queries while the speed of these responses is gathered. As used herein, the term query refers to any written or verbal question, statement, prompt, test, task, request or the like that the subject is presented with and wherein the subject then makes some type of response to, which may be a physical action, a verbal reply (wherein no verbal reply may be considered a response), or the like depending upon the type of query presented. For example, an implicit-association test (IAT)—the most popular reaction time based method—in some scenarios may be administered via a computing system in which the queries are presented on a graphical display and the subject classifies the stimuli using manual input via a keyboard or other input device such as a touchpad or computer mouse.
While IATs are effective in evaluating strengths of association between various concepts and categories held by reasonably well-educated adults, the standard IAT format has proven difficult or impossible to administer to various other categories of test subjects.
Such testing scenarios are legitimate when the test is conducted on a computer when a keyboard is used as the input device. In one IAT scenario, using a standard keyboard, the subjects or respondents are instructed to position an index finger of their left hand over the first response button (“E”) while the index finger of the right hand is positioned over the second response button (“I”). Other IAT tests can supposedly be conducted with other input devices. In other words, such tests can be utilized with dedicated hardware devices but also with a commonly accessible mouse, touchpad or touchscreen. However, it is believed that if an IAT is conducted using a mouse, touchpad or touchscreen, motor artifacts may distort the result and the data cannot be treated as valid as it is not possible to fulfill the instruction of ‘fingers positioning’ (e.g. with touchscreens) or there is only one cursor/indicator that deputizes fingers in the process of providing the answer (e.g. with a mouse). As used herein, artifacts refer to any distortion of any feature of the testing process (the queries, the input device, the format of the answers provided, etc.) that is a product or result of an extrinsic agent, method, or the like. Artifacts may be generated by the environment of where the test is being taken, the characteristics of the input device, the format of the test (type of query, response button placement, etc.), the physical or cognitive characteristics of the individual taking the test, or other related factors.
As best seen in FIG. 1, a Prior Art configuration of a system representing a reaction time type of test is shown in FIG. 1 and designated generally by the numeral 18. The system 18 includes a computer 20 connected to a monitor 21 or other display device that is visually perceptible. Also connected to the computer is an input device 22. The computer may be any processor-based device with the appropriate hardware, software and memory needed to implement the reaction time test or tests and implement other functions associated therewith. The monitor 21 may be any type of device which visually displays information or images to a subject or respondent. The monitor 21 may be in any form, such as by way of example only, an LCD or LED display. The monitor may also be in the form of a capacitive or similar touchscreen display as is commonly found on smartphones and tablet computing devices. The monitor 21 may be any device that can present some type of query to a respondent, sometimes referred to as a subject. The input device 22 can receive and save any response or input from the subject. The computer 20, the monitor 21 and the input device 22 may be integral with each other or separate and discrete components linked to each other by wires or wirelessly. Such a configuration (computer 20, monitor 21, input device 22) may include, but is not limited to: a tablet; mobile devices; phones; smartphones, touchscreen devices; a personal computer with an associated mouse and/or a keyboard; a laptop computer; a virtual reality system; a gaming input controller, smartwatch, TV screen, microphones and the like. As used herein, the input device is a device which the respondent manipulates in response to a query. For example, if a personal computer is used as the input device, the computer monitor or display presents the query and the input device (the keyboard, mouse, touchpad and/or touchscreen) receives the user's input and the computer 20 receives and collects the information from the mouse, touchpad, etc., for subsequent transfer. In the case of a smartphone or tablet with a touchscreen, the touchscreen (monitor 21) presents the query and also receives the user's response (input device 22) for subsequent transfer. Signals or data collected from or entered into the input device, which may also be referred to as respondent input, are transferred via a conduit 23. The response may include, but is not limited to, raw data, answers, times associated with providing the answers, and the like. Generally, a query or series of queries is presented on the monitor or a display associated with the input device to the respondent which requires an answer, or answers, which may or may not be provided as an option in response. The response may also require a physical movement such as pressing the button, moving a computer mouse, interacting with a touch screen or the like. Specifically, answering the query may require a specific physical action such as pressing a key on a keyboard, clicking or dragging an object as is done with a computer mouse, pressing the subject's finger on a touchscreen and/or moving their finger, or using voice commands as necessary in order to be responsive to the query.
A task engine 26, which may be maintained by the computer 20, receives the subject's response by the conduit 23. Moreover, it is the task engine that generates and presents a query 28 to the monitor or other presentation medium associated with the input device. In essence, the task engine 26 defines the process that is necessary—reactions that need to be taken—to gather data in response to queries or the performance of a task using the input device. In other words, the collection of data associated with the task engine 26 relates to asking a query of every respondent that interacts or interfaces with the user input device 22. The task engine includes at least a query or series of queries, answer options, a format for the answer, related options, and the like. Specifically, the task engine 26 provides a specific task, typically in the form of a query 28. As soon as the query 28 is presented on the monitor 21 or otherwise presented, which may be verbally, a timer starts to determine a reaction time 30. As soon as the user provides a response 32, the query timer is stopped. The response 32, which may be either positive, negative, or a selection of a number of choices, is associated with the query 28 and the reaction time 30. Upon completion of the response 32 the task engine may provide a cooling time 34 which is a time period between when the response is given to allow the respondent to reposition an input device, such as a cursor, and/or await the next presentation of another query 28.
Upon completion of a specific task or predetermined number of tasks the collected data from the task engine 26 is delivered via an output signal 35 to a results database 36. The collected data includes at least an identification of the respondent, information related to the subject matter and iteration of the test, identification of the queries, the reaction time, and the response. Other data, including but not limited to the type of monitor and/or devices used, software used, cooling time, environmental factors such as time of day, physical conditions of where the test was administered, socio-demographic characteristics of subject and so on may also be associated within the collected data. The data or information in the results database may then be presented, organized in any desired format or further manipulated or analyzed. As will be appreciated by skilled artisans, the results database 36 may include the processed (cleaned) data transformed into meaningful scores or relationships. In other words, the collected data may be presented in the form of the processed answers on respondent level or aggregated processed answers gathered from a whole group of respondents. As a result, each reaction time test may be provided to more than one user so that trends or characterizations of the test can be determined for comparison to other tests or evaluation.
It has been found that if a test or task is conducted using a particular input device that various data artifacts may result. For example, a person using a regular keyboard may provide different input or reaction times than that same person utilizing a mouse, touchpad or touch screen. As a result, these variations, which result from motor artifacts or other “noise” 40 introduced into the system 20 may distort the results and the collected data cannot be treated as valid.
Therefore, there is a need to remove the noise and artifacts caused by input devices, the respondents themselves, and/or other environmental concerns. This is particularly important if a test which uses reaction time methodologies (either similar to implicit association tests or some other type of reaction time measurement) is not conducted in a controlled academic condition but in a more natural environment and/or when the target group is the general public where internal (individual differences in: motor activity, temperamental capabilities, difference in speed of the nervous system, familiarity with the device, speed of reading, etc.) and external (situational aspects, disturbances which occur when the study is taken, etc.) noise from various sources needs to be taken into consideration and its' influence on the results should be minimized to receive valid data. Indeed, because the test may be accessible through various devices (PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.), different means of input may be used by the respondents instead of a keyboard. In such cases various artifacts can occur and thus result in distortion of the data collected. Therefore, there is a need to implement various filters to accommodate for these variations in input devices and how the queries are presented and answered on the input devices. There is also a need to take into consideration various types of the sources of noise and distortions.